Paul Kagame, James Kabarebe, and Patrick Nyamvumba in South Rwanda, in May 2020
Over the last three months, Rwandan dictator General Paul Kagame has launched two major shakeups of the country's military, with firings, dismissals, and reshuffles of the military leadership. The second shakeup on August 31, 2023 occurred around 2 months after the first major action that included reshuffles and firings. During the same period, General Paul Kagame has appointed his 29-years-old daughter Ms Ange Kagame to a high government position within the presidency, upgraded the position of his son in the military, and reinforced the faction within the military that supports his succession plan. The actions by General Paul Kagame in the last three months have been expected. Already, other African dictators have made similar moves. Cameroon's dictator Paul Biya, 90, one of Africa's longest-reigning dictators has also enacted fresh appointments and reshuffles within the military and the police. Following the reshuffles in both countries, a meeting of the Rwanda’s chief of defense staff, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ambassador to Rwanda, and the defense military attaché of Cameroon was held in Kigali to to enhance defense cooperation among the three countries.
